Description
Mushrooms of Cascadia is a book for every mushroomer — from beginners to professionals alike. Everything you need to learn to recognize and identify mushrooms across the Pacific Northwest lies within these pages. Featuring comprehensive coverage of common and conspicuous species, delicious edibles and toxic look-alikes, and rarities and regional specialties, this user-friendly reference covers the whole spectrum of macrofungal diversity in the American northwest.
With fully-illustrated treatments of over 750 species and references to hundreds more, tips on mushroom collecting, descriptions of habitats and bioregions, and up-to-date taxonomy, this book represents the state of the art. Each species profile features stunning photography combined with an in-depth description, as well as notes on ecology, edibility, toxicity, and similar species.
Cin Thomas (verified owner) –
Super excited to get to see this book! I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I found out they were writing one specifically for us in the PNW, and I am not disappointed.
One of my concerns was how species that are found in both “Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast” and “Mushrooms of Cascadia” were going to be handled. Happily, I can report that almost all of the duplicate species have a different picture, so if you have the other book, this one seems totally worthwhile to have as well. The more samples you can see, the better, plus the ecology is different here and I was also pleased to see that the ecology sections for each entry have been modified for this area. The new photos represent that beautifully as well. One of the best things about the large, full color images is that each one shows different stages of growth, angles, and many with cross sections as well. There are many, many species that are not part of Redwood Coast that are specific to our region included in this edition that I am excited to be able to look up, being as their first book has been my primary go-to resource even though I live in Oregon. There are no other references that have the amount of information that Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz have compiled: from detailed physical descriptions to microscopy information, chemical reactions, edibility, and the invaluable Comments section for each that describe common look-alikes and how to tell the differences.
It looks like the physical version is going to be about the same width, but about an inch taller and significantly thicker…all good with those changes! The basic organization is similar to Redwood Coast, so you wont be lost if you are used to the rough placement of things. The typeface is larger and easier to read as well. I do kind of miss the red headings for Gills, Stipe, etc. but that is a minor quibble. I’m liking the layout with the sections listed in colored tabs in the margin for quick flipping.
This is a must-have for beginners and experienced foragers alike. If I have to bring just one mushroom book out on a foray, this will be it. Redwood Coast is going to get a well deserved rest. Thank you for writing Mushrooms of Cascadia for us!!!
Matt Mathiason (verified owner) –
Wonderful images and descriptions! This will be THE guide to PNW mushrooms for years to come.
Amy Hill (verified owner) –
Mushrooms of Cascadia by Noah Siegel and Christian Schwartz is a fabulous fungi book from cover to cover. The pictures are outstanding and the text is approachable for beginners and detailed enough for those who want to dive deeper.
Most of the pages cover families and species in great detail including geography, morphology, and host plant(s). The photos are clear with multiple stages of development represented. The accompanying text is thorough and includes such details as odor, taste, KOH (potassium hydroxide) testing, spore deposits, ecology, and edibility among others. The comments section adds details about habitat, shape, and similar species, and more.
The book includes a bibliography, a list of periodicals, a glossary, a general index, and a scientific names index in addition to the text.
I highly recommend this book and am excited to get out into the field with it as the weather turns wetter.
Shannon R. Smith (verified owner) –
Filled with vibrant photos and concise information, Mushroom’s of Cascadia not only serves as a robust identification guide for beginners and experts alike, but also unlocks the hidden myco-ecology of the Pacific Northwest with academic expertise. 11/10
Rose Stinson (verified owner) –
I’m THRILLED! It has the information I’ve been craving. Until this book, there are so many mushrooms that I’d see season after season and unable to learn more – only be able to get “kinda close/maybe” to identifying them. As reviewers have noted before me: text is well-organized, concise, and accurate; images are vibrant, detailed, and compelling.